Suspect in killing of trooper captured Page A3
Manhunt ends in Waller County after trooper fatally shot
Harris and Waller County lawmen captured a 32-yearold man sought in the slaying of a Department of Public Safety trooper. The killing took place Thursday during a traffic stop near Fairfield.
A manhunt ended late Thursday in Waller County for a 32-year-old man officials say fatally shot a Texas Department of Public Safety officer in Freestone County.
Dabrett Black was captured around 8:45 p.m. in Prairie View after allegedly firing a rifle multiple times at Trooper Damon Allen during a traffic stop at 4 p.m. on Interstate 45 in Fairfield, roughly 2½ hours northwest of Houston, authorities said.
Allen was married with three children, according to DPS.
Gov. Greg Abbott called a “callous” and “heinous” crime.
“The killer will face justice, and the state of Texas will continue to offer our unwavering support for the men and women in law enforcement who keep our communities safe,” Abbott said.
Black fled south after the shooting in a gray 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. Authorities caught up with him in Waller County, where they fired shots before he fled on foot.
Authorities followed him for more than an hour. Using night goggles, deputies spot-
ted the suspect on top of some hay bales. He then crawled along some brush near Wyatt Chapel Road.
“We got this guy,” one officer said over the scanner around 8:25 p.m. “Let’s go get him on our terms, not his.”
SWAT teams, a K-9 unit and Harris County Sheriff ’s officials were involved in the capture.
“Excellent operation by numerous agencies to take this suspect into custody with no additional casualties,” the Navarro County Office of Emergency Management tweeted.
In less than three years, Black has faced previous charges of assault on a law enforcement officer and evading apprehension in a vehicle in Smith County, according to public records.
In March 2015, he was booked into the Smith County Jail on charges of assaulting a public servant and attempting to take a weapon from an officer.
In July, he was arrested again in Smith County. That time, he was eventually indicted on charges of aggravated assault on a public servant and evading arrest.
He was out on bond on both charges.